Westland's Bill McGlocklin will be taking his 1999 Ford F-150 Special Edition again to Detroit's Autorama - which takes place Feb. 24-26 in Detroit. At the show last year, McGlocklin, 58, won first place for first place in the conservative pickup truck 1989-'99 category. McGlocklin estimates that he's invested more than $30,000 into the nearly 20 year-old pickup and is proud that he drives it to-and-from competitions, never trailering it. JOHN HEIDER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bill McGlocklin did a lot of customizing to the cab area of his pickup truck including have new pedals created, adding battery-level indicating gauges, seen at left, and adding some wood trim which is reflected in the two coffee mugs he has riding shotgun. JOHN HEIDER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Russ Hammond, of Canton, bought the 1955 Chevy Bel Air for daughter Riley when she was 2 years old. It will be 8 more years before 8 year old Riley can drive her car. Meanwhile, you can see Riley's Chevy at Autorama. Bill Bresler | staff photographer

This 1965 Shelby Cobra Superformance is a tribute to the late Carroll Shelby, who first came up with the idea of stuffing a big American V8, in a small British sports car, the AC Bristol. This automobile has a 460ci V8 that pumps out 580 horsepower. Vanguard Motor Sales will bring the car to Autorama. Bill Bresler | staff photographer

But then his father took a Ford Mustang convertible in a trade and one of Zakarian's older brothers got the car.

"We were hooked. My father wasn't biased because he sold General Motors (vehicles)," Zakarian said.

A South Lyon resident, Zakarian will be showing his 1979 Ford 250 pickup truck at Autorama — described as the largest and one of the oldest hot rod/custom car shows in America — Friday through Sunday Feb. 24-26 at Cobo Center in Detroit.

"The truck was in pretty good shape. I did some undercarriage restoration and rebuilt the transmission," Zakarian said. "I've been adding my own touches little by little."

Zakarian got the truck about a year-and-a-half ago. It's his third Ford pickup.

"I love the four-door. I moved up a grade. It's a hobby truck. I love pickup trucks. I wanted to be able to utilize it," he said. "My family loves to camp."

While Zakarian, who drives a Ford F-15 pickup on a daily basis, is a refracting bricklayer, he notes that along with his father selling cars, his brother is a service advisor at Ford.

"My brother had quite a few cars there (at Autorama). I've been going since I was a little kid," he said. "This truck was the first vehicle I thought was of the quality to show."

This will be the second year Zakarian will be showing off his truck at Autorama. This year, the 65th anniversary of Autorama will kick off with an outdoor Hazzard Stunt Show featuring the flying General Lee. In addition, there will be a collection of some 20 of the most famous cars even seen at Autorama, including the Batmobile, the Little Deuce Couple, the Zingers and many more,

Showing off his truck and checking out other vehicle is really a year-round hobby. He's a member of the Broham Car Club and participates in the Lake Street Cruise which takes place the fourth Wednesday of the month May through September in South Lyon. Zakarian volunteers in assisting parking and set up for the cruise. The city closes down a section of the street to accommodate the cruise.